Employment contracts contain the standard components like employee's start date, salary, and benefits. In addition to these, an employment contract may include confidentiality agreement, non-competition agreement, exclusive employment termination, arbitration, and choice of law in the event of a dispute, etc.

In some states, an oral contract is binding and it will be upheld in court. However, there generally must be some evidence that the discussion took place between the parties. Even if it is written in the employee handbook, it still will depend on the state where the person is employed and how specific the wording is.